1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for providing a good ground connection and more particularly, to providing a good ground connection to electronic devices connected to AC power lines, telephone lines and/or networks that carry high-speed digital signals, by employing an AC outlet, a ground-sensing indicator and an external ground connection.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A typical AC outlet includes a means for connecting to an AC line, AC neutral and ground. Most users of AC outlets insert two and three prong AC plugs (connected to electronic devices) into an AC outlet without knowing whether or not the AC outlet's ground connection is good or bad. In addition, the status of the AC outlet's internal wiring is typically unknown. This uncertainty regarding the status of the ground connection and the AC outlet's internal wiring can be particularly harmful to the electronic device and in some instances to the user. For example, if the user of a computer plugged the computer into an AC outlet with a bad ground (or reversed AC line and AC neutral wiring) and a “hot” wire inside the computer were to come loose, the user would get a potentially fatal shock if they were to touch the metal casing of the computer. In addition, the computer's internal components could be damaged due to the overvoltage condition. However, if the computer was connected to an AC outlet with a good ground (and proper internal AC wiring) and the “hot” wire were to come loose, a fuse would trip in the fuse box causing the device to turn off, thereby a user coming into contact with the computer would not receive a shock and the computer's internal components would remain unharmed.
Similarly, many electronic devices that connect to three prong AC outlets include an additional grounding wire to ensure the safety of the device and user. Examples of such devices include, devices employing two prong AC plugs (because they do not have a ground connection) and high priced electronic equipment and appliances (which desire the redundancy due to their costs). However, in order to connect the grounding wire to a ground the user must remove the AC outlet's cover plate and manually connect the grounding wire to the grounding means of the AC outlet. This process can be very cumbersome and fraught with the same potential dangers as discussed above because the user may not be aware of the status of the AC outlet's ground connection.
Thus, there is a need for an apparatus that provides electronic devices with a reliable ground, AC line and AC neutral connection and an external ground connection at relatively inexpensive cost.